Brian Smith: Former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel remains a hit, will speak in Reading

Apr. 28—All these years later, it's easy to forget the somewhat rude reception Charlie Manuel got when he was introduced as the Philadelphia Phillies manager in November 2004.

The choice was criticized and maligned for any number of reasons, most of them superficial.

He's a country boy. He doesn't talk like us. He doesn't sound smart. He was only hired because he is (then-)first baseman Jim Thome's buddy from Cleveland.

"I remember when I got introduced at my first press conference," Manuel recalled during a phone interview earlier this week, "and I told them, 'You might not like me now, but when we win you'll like me.' I remember saying that."

Of course, Manuel was right.

Winning has a way of changing perceptions, particularly when it includes a World Series title.

But in Manuel's case, there's more to it than that. He's hard-working. He's humble and approachable. He's a man of the people, the kind of guy people want to sit and have a beer with.

He's got to be the most beloved former coach or manager in Philadelphia pro sports history.

The now-legendary 78-year-old will be in Reading Friday for a Fireside Chat with Charlie Manuel presented by the Reading Fightin Phils and Herbein + Company at Reading Area Community College's Miller Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at https://millercenter.racc.edu/charlie-manuel.

"I just don't want to mess it up," Manuel said before laughing.

Rest assured, Manuel won't have any trouble talking baseball. He's a lifer who has been in pro baseball since 1963, making playing stops all over the U.S. and for six seasons in Japan before becoming a scout, coach and manager at the minor and major league levels.

After being fired as the manager in Cleveland, he joined the Phillies in 2003, when he was named a special assistant to the general manager.

He's most known, obviously, for his near nine-season stint as the Phillies manager, when he led the team to five straight National League East titles (2007-11), two NL pennants and the 2008 World Series title. He is the winningest manager in team history (780-636), and was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2014.

"I always gave the players credit for a lot of my success because I believe in that," Manuel said. "The players, they performed well for us. The organization put the right kind of talent and team together, and I was very fortunate in a lot of ways."

Manuel was the right guy to lead a collection of players that included Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, Pat Burrell, Carlos Ruiz and Cole Hamels, among others.

"I think the fans liked the characters on our team," he said. "I think they loved watching us play because we had an offense where we could manufacture runs in any way you wanted to do. We could do it with speed, we could do it with power, we could do it with consistent hitting, we could do it with situational hitting, and also we had enough pitching that was good enough to get us through seasons.

"If I would have my druthers of anything else happening, there was a chance for us to win another World Series or two, but those things didn't happen. That's baseball. But we were fortunate enough to put a product on the field that kept our fans very into it for about seven, eight years."

Manuel, who spent time with the current team in spring training, said he sees the potential for this group, though off to a slow start, to have similar success.

He cited the track records of guys like holdovers Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto and newcomers Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos.

"I think that the more they play together — and each night it kind of helps us because we're around each other — you'll see our team improve and blossom," Manuel said. "I like our team. I think we're going to score a lot of runs and I think we are going to get into a hitting season that we're going to enjoy because the guys we got on our team have good past history.

"I'm excited about our team. I think we've got five solid starting pitchers, and the bullpen's got potential with the velocity. They throw hard and they have a lot of talent. They gotta consistently be throwing strikes and things like that. We definitely could have what I call a team that's going to be hard to reckon with, that can challenge for our division, with a good chance of getting to the playoffs and winning something. I feel that way."

In addition to helping out in spring training, Manuel assists in minor league hitting instruction, scouts and serves as a consultant to the baseball operations staff. He also is a club ambassador.

"I enjoy it, but I get too uptight watching games, especially when I'm at home by myself," said Manuel, who lives in Winter Haven, Fla. "I want us to win. I probably want us to win just as much as our manager and our coaches and our players do."

That attitude surely will further endear Manuel to Phillies fans, as will the fact that he has decided to stay with the team despite opportunities to leave.

"I could've definitely landed jobs once I came off the field as a manager, but at the same time I felt like I was a Phillie," said Manuel, who served as the team's hitting coach for the final two months in 2019. "I felt like I had a lot of friends and things like that and at my age, Philadelphia is where I wanted to be. I also wanted to keep an attitude that I could help in some way, and we could be successful and we could win some more, and let our fans enjoy baseball. Really that's kind of how I felt."

Manuel will travel to see all the team's minor league affiliates this season, including several trips to Reading to watch the Fightin Phils.

"Reading is a good city to watch a baseball game," he said. "It's a baseball town."

And don't be surprised if you spot Charlie around Berks.

"I think I'm a people person," he said. "I like to talk to people, sometimes some of my best conversations are not baseball. When I come to Reading sometimes I go places and I'll buy people their breakfasts. Why? Because I want to. Fans and everything were good for our team, and they enjoyed the characters and the people who worked for us. And that's kind of what life is about."

For Manuel, life is also very much about baseball. He said he misses being around the game on a daily basis, interacting with the players in the clubhouse.

But he said his health is good after several scares over the years, and he wants to play a part with the Phillies as long as he can.

"I definitely don't like to sit at home doing nothing," he said. "I've always been busy in baseball. I still have that love and passion for it. Nowadays, I want to see the Phillies win a World Series again and I want to see our ballpark filled up as long as we can."